Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing a disease comprising detecting in a sample from a patient an autoantibody binding to flotillin1 and/or flotillin2, a polypeptide comprising flotillin1 and/or flotillin2 or a variant thereof, which is may be immobilized, use of the polypeptide for the diagnosis of a disease, an autoantibody binding to flotillin1 and/or flotillin2, a method for isolating said autoantibody, and a pharmaceutical composition, medical device, and/or test kit comprising said polypeptide.
Discussion of the Background
Developing diagnostic systems for neurological diseases is a continuing challenge in biomedical science, not in the least because many encountered symptoms may be accounted for by a huge variety of causes including genetically inherited diseases, drug abuse, malnutrition, infection, injury, psychiatric illness, immunological defects, and cancer.
Since a neurological disease is rarely associated with a unique characteristic pattern of clinical symptoms, it is often difficult to provide a reliable diagnosis solely based on the observation and examination of the patients affected or their medical history.
The importance of an early diagnosis cannot be overemphasized. Many neurological disorders, most prominently Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases as well as Multiple Sclerosis, cannot be cured, but drugs are available that may be used to slow down their progression. The earlier a patient is diagnosed, the better chances to exploit a spectrum of available drugs to the full benefit of the patient.
This holds all the more true in the case of neurological diseases associated with autoantibodies. In some cases, a link between a specific detectable autoantibody and a condition is sufficiently strong to allow for immediate diagnosis.
But even if it is not, detection of autoantibodies may point a physician in charge to therapeutic means that may be used to ameliorate patient's conditions. There is a variety of widely used immunosuppressants that may be used regardless of the nature of the autoantibody's target. Alternatively, apheresis may be used to remove autoantibodies from patient's blood. In many cases, patients could live a normal life following early diagnosis and treatment of a neurological autoimmune disease.
Diagnostic assays based on the detection of autoantibodies may also corroborate the diagnosis of diseases other than those associated with autoantibodies. If it turns out that a blood sample is devoid of specific autoantibodies, this is likely to help a physician in charge to exclude a range of possibilities and thus narrow down the spectrum of plausible conditions.
Examples of neurological conditions coinciding with the emergence of autoantibodies include Neuromyelitis optica, a disease characterized by loss of vision and a spinal cord function, and anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, which is associated with autonomic dysfunction, hypoventilation, cerebellar ataxia, hemiparesis, loss of consciousness, or catatonia. Whilst the involvement of autoantibodies and the nature of these conditions as such were previously poorly understood, many of these diseases may now be diagnosed and treated efficiently owing to the availability of assays based on the detection of autoantibodies.
Multiple Sclerosis is another disease that is widely believed to be associated with the autoimmune destruction of vital bodily structures. Approximately 20% of patients suffer from a visual impairment, more specifically optic neuritis. A specific diagnosis is difficult owing to a wide spectrum of symptoms and the nature of the disease, with attacks being followed sometimes by a complete disappearance of the symptoms.
Therefore, there still exists a need for better and more effective approaches to distinguish neurological conditions associated with autoantibodies.